Commercials That Annoy, Irritate or Outright Enrage

[Eliot]

I hate the Buick commercial with the father who gets up in the middle of the night to take his crying baby for a ride in "the Buick."

I mostly hate it because of the final scene, when the mother comes downstairs and finds her husband and baby asleep at the table and smiles indulgently. I don't care HOW well rested you are, NO ONE, especially the parent of a newborn, looks that flawless and dewy at that hour of the morning.

[spaceytraci1208]

Anyone else hate that "Blue Buffalo" dog food commercial where they talk about a dog being born with the soul of a wolf? It's just...dumb lol

[smittykins]

That, plus the unspoken implication that "if you don't give your dog/cat our fancy-schmancy food, you suck as a pet parent."(Although, as someone on a limited income who can only afford to buy Cat Chow Indoor, I could be totally projecting.)

[frenchtoast]

I hate all the Blue Buffalo commercials. But then I hate it when companies to try to "guilt" parents  be they pet or human or both into buying unnecessary crap. It really irks me with dog food because I've seen my dog lick the drops from the garbage truck. They're not that discerning. Every time those Blue Buffalo commercials come on I have to remark to the tv that no way in hell am I buying that stupid crap. And you can take your smug superiority and shove it. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

From the Holiday Commercials thread:

On 12/17/2016 at 10:26 AM, Kimmmmmm said:

Hate it...nothing funny about a mother who can't control her kids...

It reminds me that the dumb broad in the 'Wala' Liberty Mutual ad needs to put those little leashes on her kids so they can't run all over the damn garage. 

[SmithW6079]

As if I didn't hate Amy Schumer already , her latest Old Navy commercial where she's openly flirting with the married man in front of his wife and children pushed that into rage.

I found her funny on the Graham Norton show earlier this year, but her overexposure and general douchiness evaporated that goodwill right quick. 

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

That, plus the unspoken implication that "if you don't give your dog/cat our fancy-schmancy food, you suck as a pet parent."(Although, as someone on a limited income who can only afford to buy Cat Chow Indoor, I could be totally projecting.)

As someone who is pretty dedicated to buying top(ish)-of-the-line cat food now that I have the budget to do so, I can also say to you that I did not, and was not able to, do that for my previous cats--one of which lived to over 17 years old and another who passed away for reasons completely unrelated to diet. Not all cats have the same (or any at all) negative reactions to mass-market foods, and if you're a vigilant and responsible person who is giving a pet a loving home, you do what you have to do! 

[topanga]

11 hours ago, frenchtoast said:

I hate all the Blue Buffalo commercials. But then I hate it when companies to try to "guilt" parents  be they pet or human or both into buying unnecessary crap. It really irks me with dog food because I've seen my dog lick the drops from the garbage truck. They're not that discerning. Every time those Blue Buffalo commercials come on I have to remark to the tv that no way in hell am I buying that stupid crap. And you can take your smug superiority and shove it. 

I used to have a cat, and I always felt slightly guilty that I didn't buy him gourmet cat food and serve it in a fancy crystal dish. 

[TattleTeeny]

Well, don't; a stainless steel dish is better for them anyway!

[chenoa333]

1 hour ago, SmithW6079 said:

As if I didn't hate Amy Schumer already , her latest Old Navy commercial where she's openly flirting with the married man in front of his wife and children pushed that into rage.

I found her funny on the Graham Norton show earlier this year, but her overexposure and general douchiness evaporated that goodwill right quick. 

I'm pretty sure that old navy commercial is going to be the death of Amy's career. It's aired at least 3 times every hour and I'm now completely sick of her and Old Navy.I hope she didn't film an Old Navy "after Christmas sale" commercial.

[Brattinella]

The only saving grace for Amy Schumer is that she purchased the family farm back for her father, after he lost it when she was 12.  That's some good stuff right there!

[TattleTeeny]

13 hours ago, frenchtoast said:

I hate all the Blue Buffalo commercials. But then I hate it when companies to try to "guilt" parents  be they pet or human or both into buying unnecessary crap. It really irks me with dog food because I've seen my dog lick the drops from the garbage truck. They're not that discerning. Every time those Blue Buffalo commercials come on I have to remark to the tv that no way in hell am I buying that stupid crap. And you can take your smug superiority and shove it. 

I don't feel "guilted" about it (and of course any advertisement is going to use any angle to seel the product); it's just that there are a lot of nasty ingredients in some brands that are not merely harmless fillers but actually can be detrimental to some cats' respiratory systems, stomachs, teeth, joints, etc. While I don't think food had anything to do with my previously cats' deaths, I am also a kook who constantly wonders if I could have done better by them (though at the end for one of them, I let her eat anything she wanted). Again, I say that as someone who's factored the cats' food into our budget--and also started this hopefully healthier diet when I adopted two kittens (a first for me; the others were adults when I brought them home); I just figured I'd make the attempt to go "all out" with the babies and see how that went (same with the litter--I swear, I live at damn Petco!). 

As for Blue Buffalo, I have used it and maybe still will sometimes but it's not that high on the list of "good" pet foods.

Edited December 22, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[frenchtoast]

Oh, I know. I have to look at the ingredients for my dogs--greyhounds--because they have sensitive stomachs. So no red dyes, not a lot of filler. And I basically have to stick with it because just changing the food to something just as good will cause the runs. (I'm still going to treat them to some canned food on Christmas, and just let them out a lot.) I just refuse to give Blue Buffalo money because I find their attempt at guilt inducement in advertising sickening and appalling. There is a wide variety of pet food out there, and I'm choosing to go with one that doesn't act like you're a terrible person for choosing Purina. I mean, the other pet food commercials don't do that. And they make a product just as good as Blue Buffalo. I guess it's ironic that their whole be an informed consumer kinda backfired because I check labels and the first label I check is brand, and I deliberately avoid Blue Buffalo. 

[TattleTeeny]

Oh my goodness, I love, love, LOVE greyhounds! Are they retired/rescues?

I've read a few good things about the Weruva brands, which includes Soulistic (I don't know if that is cat-specific though) and Merrick (I think). Both of those have some funny and/or hippie-sounding food names--Good Karma Chicken! Cowboy Cookout!

Edited December 22, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[iMonrey]

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I'm pretty sure that old navy commercial is going to be the death of Amy's career. It's aired at least 3 times every hour and I'm now completely sick of her and Old Navy.I hope she didn't film an Old Navy "after Christmas sale" commercial.

I find it odd that she's doing the commercials at all. She's kind of a "rising star" what with a successful film under her belt and her Comedy Central show getting a lot of critical buzz. Doing TV commercials seems like a step down for her. You'd think she'd be able to find better work like other films or cable projects.

[Jamoche]

The people on one of the addiction ads - the ones going "I was a heroin addict", "I did crack cocaine" etc - are so unconvincing they remind me of Orlando Jones in "Office Space" when he first shows up selling magazines door to door - the scene cuts off too soon, but basically it's just sales pitch, which is why it's intentionally bad acting:

[ennui]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I find it odd that she's doing the commercials at all. She's kind of a "rising star" what with a successful film under her belt and her Comedy Central show getting a lot of critical buzz. Doing TV commercials seems like a step down for her. You'd think she'd be able to find better work like other films or cable projects.

Commercials usually pay really well for a day's work. That's why George Clooney does them. I think Julia Louis-Dreyfus did Old Navy ads for a while, and she had a hit show. 

[Bastet]

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As for Blue Buffalo, I have used it and maybe still will sometimes but it's not that high on the list of "good" pet foods.

I usually wind up muttering at the TV, "You're pretty much the worst of the good food!" when those Blue Buffalo commercials air.  There was an issue with its ingredient sourcing, and even assuming everything is on the up and up there, its cat food is way too high in fat; all companies making "good" cat food (very low carb, moderate fat, grain free, protein from animals rather than plants, whole muscle and organ meat rather than byproducts, etc.) use more fat than protein to replace the carbs since fat is cheaper, but Blue Buffalo just goes crazy with the fat.  Don't go on about mimicking an animal's natural diet (via all that wild ancestor stuff) and then do a shitty job of it! Nature's Variety, Wellness, Tiki, Merrick, and others all make better food, but don't have commercials.

It's a shame the one higher-quality pet food manufacturer that has a widespread advertising campaign opted for a tone that turns most people off.  Because, while pet nutrition is becoming better understood, there are still a lot of people out there who don't have the information and would be both eager and able to provide better food if they learned what they should be looking for.  Blue Buffalo could have been basically a combination PSA/advertisement.  It could have even made the point that while the food costs more per can, cats eat less (protein keeps them filling full; the carbs and fillers burn off and they're hungry again) so the actual increase to your monthly cat food bill isn't as much as it seems just by looking at the price difference between two cans.  Something educational.  Something cute - all the "junk food" ads have adorable animals doing cute or silly things, and Blue Buffalo has a bunch of owners staring at data on an easel.  That would work a lot better than what it opted for.

[ennui]

14 hours ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

It reminds me that the dumb broad in the 'Wala' Liberty Mutual ad needs to put those little leashes on her kids so they can't run all over the damn garage. 

I puzzle over these apps that allow body shop estimates from a photograph. It's Liberty Mutual, but Allstate and Progressive advertise them as well. I suspect they only work for dents on newer cars. Or, you end up with high estimates because the repair shop can't be certain what they'll find when they have the actual vehicle.   

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Commercials usually pay really well for a day's work. That's why George Clooney does them. I think Julia Louis-Dreyfus did Old Navy ads for a while, and she had a hit show.

Not only is Julia funny, the girl's an heiress too. Her father, Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, is a French billionaire with a capital B, and the Louis-Dreyfus family's net worth, according to Forbes magazine, is estimated at approximately 2.9 billion dollars.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

I usually wind up muttering at the TV, "You're pretty much the worst of the good food!" when those Blue Buffalo commercials air.  There was an issue with its ingredient sourcing, and even assuming everything is on the up and up there, its cat food is way too high in fat; all companies making "good" cat food (very low carb, moderate fat, grain free, protein from animals rather than plants, whole muscle and organ meat rather than byproducts, etc.) use more fat than protein to replace the carbs since fat is cheaper, but Blue Buffalo just goes crazy with the fat.  Don't go on about mimicking an animal's natural diet (via all that wild ancestor stuff) and then do a shitty job of it! Nature's Variety, Wellness, Tiki, Merrick, and others all make better food, but don't have commercials.

Yeah, I'm just glad it's pretty easy to get my hands on in a pinch...though I'm not above grabbing whatever mainstream brand that's around if I am ever air-headed enough to completely run out. Not likely because, again, I always find myself at Petco. These fools probably eat better than I do (though one of them is insisting on trying to gobble up these weird old '70s feather frondlike things we have. Who the hell wants to eat that?! The same fool that out of nowhere has a mysterious wet patch right on top of his head, that's who).

Edited December 22, 2016 by TattleTeeny

[riley702]

Wet patch? Do you have another animal who could be licking him? I have to confess, I feed the girls BB Rabbit because it's an unusual flavor that seems closer to what they'd eat if they were ferals hunting for themselves. If they had mouse flavor, I'd probably try that, too, but they really like the rabbit. They also split a 3 oz can of wet food daily. It's the cat equivalent of junk food/crack (FF Exquisite Medleys), but has little chunks of carrot, tomato, spinach and rice. They gobble it down. I'm probably the sucker consumer they're aiming those commercials at - I make sure they have food before I shop for myself with what's left of the food budget.

Edited December 22, 2016 by riley702

[TattleTeeny]

Haha, he was probably messing around in the sink when I left the water on to fill the stupid humidifier (I'm not very strict about them hopping onto the counters; I've just settled into an "always wipe them down before I use them" routine). How he got only one tiny splotch, I have no idea. His fuzzy head would have been far soggier if his brother had been "helping" to clean him.

[Ohwell]

Can the pet food talk go to Small Talk?  Thanks!

[janie jones]

On 12/21/2016 at 4:34 PM, spaceytraci1208 said:

Anyone else hate that "Blue Buffalo" dog food commercial where they talk about a dog being born with the soul of a wolf?

Now I periodically tell my husband that our dog has the soul of a wolf.

[ABay]

Great, so now there's a bunch of soulless wolves on the loose.

[iMonrey]

Quote

The people on one of the addiction ads - the ones going "I was a heroin addict", "I did crack cocaine" etc - are so unconvincing 

Yeah, I don't buy any of them as heavy drug users, especially the guys who claims he smoked crack. They all look like they model part time.

[friendperidot]

Quote

The people on one of the addiction ads - the ones going "I was a heroin addict", "I did crack cocaine" etc - are so unconvincing 

Yeah, I don't buy any of them as heavy drug users, especially the guys who claims he smoked crack. They all look like they model part time.

all except the on one who has that line about wishing his family had insurance, he is so confused, I think he's at least dabbled.

[ennui]

I've searched (and searched!) and I can't find it, but someone complained about the Dodge commercials, with the kids in the back of the SUV, and the cars race until the pine needles blow off the trees ... 

Apparently, you are not alone. There is a car-related editorial section in my paper, and people are writing in to complain that the Dodge commercials promote reckless driving, road rage, and street racing. People have been complaining directly to Dodge about the ads. 

So, while I thought the ads were amusing, I stand corrected. 

[Mabinogia]

Oh, speaking of road rage commercials, there is that one with the dad and his daughter in her car seat in the back. He goes to an empty parking lot and starts driving really fast and doing donuts and whatnot and the little girl in the back has this total road rage bitch face on her. It annoys the crap out of me. he's teaching his kid to be an asshole aggressive driver. Little kids shouldn't have that much pent up aggression in them. it's unsettling.

[legaleagle53]

On 12/23/2016 at 9:57 AM, ABay said:

Great, so now there's a bunch of soulless wolves on the loose.

Yes.  They're called "Congress."

[Brattinella]

Who are all these hipsters in the Chevy commercials? 

[DrSpaceman73]

Can't stand the Southwest commercials with the bad lip syncing and DJing ticket agents. 

Even beyond the concept, the lip syncing if SO BAD.........barely even moving their lips.  They would be better off just dancing or reacting rather than acting like they are singing

I just can't imagine a director looking at that and review the final product and saying "perfect!!  Just what we wanted!!  Looks like a low budget, shoddily produced and taped, last minute idea for a commercial!!  Just what we are going for"

[riley702]

On 12/23/2016 at 4:12 PM, ennui said:

I've searched (and searched!) and I can't find it, but someone complained about the Dodge commercials, with the kids in the back of the SUV, and the cars race until the pine needles blow off the trees ... 

Here ya go. Those kids have some serious rage face. The commercial was bad enough when it was just the brothers driving, but now the whole family is in on the aggression. Woot - Christmas at Grandma's must be fun.

[Haleth]

Grandma better have rockin' internet.

[smittykins]

14 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Who are all these hipsters in the Chevy commercials? 

They're real people, not actors!

 

*ducks and runs*

[Brattinella]

3 hours ago, smittykins said:

They're real people, not actors!

 

*ducks and runs*

Seriously, I dive for the remote on all Chevy commercials now, especially the one with the tool box and the hipster says "Unbelee-ba-bull". And this one with the man-bun guy.

[Milburn Stone]

5 hours ago, smittykins said:

They're real people, not actors!

 

*ducks and runs*

:) They're hosts. [/Westworld]

[Jaded]

I'm so tired of seeing Brett Farve in commercials. He's in commercials for a local Chevorlet dealership here, those damn Copper Socks and assorted Copper product commercials and even though this one seems to be a couple years old I'm just now seeing it on TV. 
 

[mmecorday]

You know what's more annoying than the Big Lots! holiday commercials? The regular Big Lots! commercials. "Gettin' it! Mama needs somethin' new!"

I also saw several commercials tonight for Macy's One.Day.Sale!

[Moose135]

Macy's is having a one day sale? Stop the presses!

[Brattinella]

Okay I have just seen a horrifying commercial for H&R Block where they are EXPLODING stuff on people's desks!  That isn't cute at all.

[kat165]

I haven't seen one Big Lots holiday commercials this entire season. In fact, I've seen very few holiday commericals this season and the ones I did see were mainly car commercials and nonsensical ones with animated creatures - 2 elves watching a woman make cookies and the one where the doll drops from the car & 2 woodland creatures attempt to come to the rescue.

[Haleth]

9 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Okay I have just seen a horrifying commercial for H&R Block where they are EXPLODING stuff on people's desks!  That isn't cute at all.

The tax prep commercials are starting already?  Not even waiting till the new year?  (Of course the weight loss and quit smoking commercials are in abundance.)  Haven't seen it but you are right that exploding stuff isn't cute.

[Prevailing Wind]

Quote

Macy's is having a one day sale? Stop the presses!

There's a Toyota-Thon going on, too.

[Ohwell]

10 hours ago, Moose135 said:

Macy's is having a one day sale? Stop the presses!

The way they scream "ONE DAY!!" just sets my teeth on edge.

[ennui]

6 hours ago, Ohwell said:

The way they scream "ONE DAY!!" just sets my teeth on edge.

What I find curious is that it's not one day, it's two. Says so right on the ad insert in the newspaper. 

[ennui]

17 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Okay I have just seen a horrifying commercial for H&R Block where they are EXPLODING stuff on people's desks!  That isn't cute at all.

No, but if you can file your taxes this early, they offer discounts and stuff. The sooner, the better!

[3pwood]

24 minutes ago, ennui said:

What I find curious is that it's not one day, it's two. Says so right on the ad insert in the newspaper. 

Report it to the local authorities who handle consumer fraud, with copies of your report to Macy's & every TV channel (local affiliates & their national networks) running the "one day" commercial.  

[Moose135]

1 hour ago, ennui said:

What I find curious is that it's not one day, it's two. Says so right on the ad insert in the newspaper. 

It's been forever since I've paid attention to it - in a prior life, I worked in the department that handled the sales and distribution of inserts in my newspaper - but they used to say it is a one day sale, with a "special preview" the day before.

Edited December 27, 2016 by Moose135